1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication system, an information processing apparatus, a computer-readable storage medium having a program stored therein, and an information processing method. More particularly, the present invention relates to a communication system, an information processing apparatus, a computer-readable storage medium having a program stored therein, and an information processing method each for obtaining a communication connection status of another specific information processing apparatus.
2. Description of the Background Art
There are known conventional communication systems in which a plurality of information processing apparatuses register each other as friends (friend registration) and the information processing apparatuses having registered each other as friends communicate with each other. For example, in a case where a plurality of game apparatuses in a network game system play a network game among them, each game apparatus registers beforehand other game apparatuses as friends (i.e., as communication partners) to play the network game with. Then, an online game is played only among the game apparatuses that register each other as friends. In such a communication system, an information processing apparatus cannot communicate with another information processing apparatus that the information processing apparatus has registered as a friend, if the other information processing apparatus is not online (for example, the information processing apparatus cannot play an online game). As one example, in a network game system disclosed on the Internet (retrieved on Jan. 24, 2011 from the following URL: http://support.xbox.com/ja-jp/Pages/xbox-live/how-to/chat/managing-friends.aspx) (hereinafter, referred to as Non-Patent Document 1), a game apparatus obtains and displays a communication connection status of another game apparatus that the game apparatus has registered as a friend, indicating whether the other game apparatus is online or offline.
However, in the online game system disclosed by Non-Patent Document 1, game apparatuses that play an online game among them are stationary game apparatuses. Accordingly, these game apparatuses are always connectable to the network. Therefore, the communication connection status, i.e., online or offline, of these game apparatuses which register each other as friends does not change frequently. Under such stable conditions, each game apparatus in the online game system of Non-Patent Document 1 obtains the communication connection status of another game apparatus that the game apparatus has registered as a friend.